Series 3 Episode 11/12/13: Utopia/ The Sound of Drums/ Last of the Time Lords

This finale is the weakest entry in Russell Davies' final three-part story arc that serves as the finale of the third season of Doctor Who. However, there's still some damn fine stuff here, with plenty of great developments that will likely play a part in episodes next season (and perhaps beyond). As finales go, it's perhaps something of a let down, but by no means a bad way to go out.
Perhaps the biggest misstep in this episode is having The Doctor spend much of it as a computer-generated 900-year-old version of himself. The final episode of Doctor Who should really have as much Doctor as possible, and that means not swapping David Tennant out for an odd Gollum-like CGI beastie.
There's also the questionable "I believe in fairies!" moment where the Doctor somehow taps into the psychic energy of the entire human race and magically transforms back into his young and healthy form. This is logically muddy and seems quite out of place in the traditionally more rational and (at least nominally) scientific explanations found in the series. There's also some fairly weak Messianic allusions being drawn that also don't fit well with the character. Though, to be fair, the Doctor does seem happy that humanity has mostly forgotten him when it's all over.
 
The episode also has some very nice codas, including a great moment between Martha and The Doctor which serves as a terrific counterpoint to Rose's farewell. We haven't seen the last of Martha, but it's important for her character to separate herself from The Doctor at this time. It leaves The Doctor as he often is, totally alone. At least until the final moments where the next Christmas Special is set up…
 
Rating: 8/10